I'm not sure if I already discussed this idea within the DHS community before, but I'll outline it here just in case I didn't.
I'll use magic for this example, but the principle can apply to other combat skills as well (or even healing).
Traditionally in games with RPG elements, you may start with just basic attacks or spells, and then you increase in power by learning newer, more potent magic skills which both cost more mana, but also have improved effects. Idea I had a long time ago would both enhance and sort of potentially replace that system with the improvement effect which, put simply, is that the more you use something, the more you master it, and the more power you can put into/get out of it without necessarily increasing the cost of use.
Examples:
lvl 1 Firebolt (starting magic skill)
10-18 fire damage
very fast cast time
fast projectile
very small area of effect
8 mana cost
very small chance to set enemy ablaze
lvl 1 Fireball (unlocked at level 8 caster level)
30-50 fire damage
medium cast time
somewhat fast projectile
medium area of effect
22 mana cost
high chance to set enemies ablaze
--------------------
lvl 1 Master Firebolt (used until maxed out at 10th level, and then pushed beyond into Mastery levels)
100-180 fire damage
instant cast time (cast by will instead of ritual)
very fast projectile
small area of effect
5 mana cost (familiarity from Mastery actually drives the cost of mana down rather than up)
very high chance to set enemies ablaze
extra Mastery effect allows projectiles to pierce through multiple enemies
lvl 7 Fireball (used the same amount as it takes to get to the first level of Mastered Firebolt, but more complex means more use/exp required to level up)
290-550 fire damage
medium cast time
somewhat fast projectile
somewhat large area of effect
230 mana cost (an un-Mastered spell costs more mana to get more power out of, Mastery would start driving the mana cost back down again)
high chance to set enemies ablaze
-no extra effect because not yet Mastered
Of course any higher tier spells would either have a much higher threshold to push the skill into the realm of Mastery, or else it would be so complex that it may be nigh impossible to Master--it might require additional challenges/event completions to unlock Mastery levels, perhaps.
But such a system would allow someone who favored using lower tier spells over higher tier counterparts to still have them as a viable option even into high level/end game content without being "forced" to change their preferred play style too much.
So you could potentially go into battle with a set of low tier spells that you've just poured all of your effort into mastering and be just as effective (or possibly even more effective) than an otherwise equal leveled ally of the same class who's kitted out with the most recently unlocked skill sets for that level.
Think of it as being the difference between a warrior who spent 5 years only practicing a simple overhead downward sword strike going up against someone who spent 1 year each on learning the 5 newest different sword strike techniques. The latter warrior may be more balanced in combat, but the former warrior would likely be able to split through just about anything you put in front of them with that 1 downward strike.
That's pretty much the gist of it.
I'll use magic for this example, but the principle can apply to other combat skills as well (or even healing).
Traditionally in games with RPG elements, you may start with just basic attacks or spells, and then you increase in power by learning newer, more potent magic skills which both cost more mana, but also have improved effects. Idea I had a long time ago would both enhance and sort of potentially replace that system with the improvement effect which, put simply, is that the more you use something, the more you master it, and the more power you can put into/get out of it without necessarily increasing the cost of use.
Examples:
lvl 1 Firebolt (starting magic skill)
10-18 fire damage
very fast cast time
fast projectile
very small area of effect
8 mana cost
very small chance to set enemy ablaze
lvl 1 Fireball (unlocked at level 8 caster level)
30-50 fire damage
medium cast time
somewhat fast projectile
medium area of effect
22 mana cost
high chance to set enemies ablaze
--------------------
lvl 1 Master Firebolt (used until maxed out at 10th level, and then pushed beyond into Mastery levels)
100-180 fire damage
instant cast time (cast by will instead of ritual)
very fast projectile
small area of effect
5 mana cost (familiarity from Mastery actually drives the cost of mana down rather than up)
very high chance to set enemies ablaze
extra Mastery effect allows projectiles to pierce through multiple enemies
lvl 7 Fireball (used the same amount as it takes to get to the first level of Mastered Firebolt, but more complex means more use/exp required to level up)
290-550 fire damage
medium cast time
somewhat fast projectile
somewhat large area of effect
230 mana cost (an un-Mastered spell costs more mana to get more power out of, Mastery would start driving the mana cost back down again)
high chance to set enemies ablaze
-no extra effect because not yet Mastered
Of course any higher tier spells would either have a much higher threshold to push the skill into the realm of Mastery, or else it would be so complex that it may be nigh impossible to Master--it might require additional challenges/event completions to unlock Mastery levels, perhaps.
But such a system would allow someone who favored using lower tier spells over higher tier counterparts to still have them as a viable option even into high level/end game content without being "forced" to change their preferred play style too much.
So you could potentially go into battle with a set of low tier spells that you've just poured all of your effort into mastering and be just as effective (or possibly even more effective) than an otherwise equal leveled ally of the same class who's kitted out with the most recently unlocked skill sets for that level.
Think of it as being the difference between a warrior who spent 5 years only practicing a simple overhead downward sword strike going up against someone who spent 1 year each on learning the 5 newest different sword strike techniques. The latter warrior may be more balanced in combat, but the former warrior would likely be able to split through just about anything you put in front of them with that 1 downward strike.
That's pretty much the gist of it.